


Between Earth and Sky

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: IronStrange Bingo 2019 Collection (Round 1) [16]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, Hurt Stephen Strange, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Stephen Strange, IronStrange Bingo 2019, M/M, No Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, OT3, Sappy Ending, Suicide Attempt, Suicide Notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 03:38:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18770419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: "Broken," he repeated softly, looking from Wong to the man shivering in his arms and back again. "I can fix that. I'm good at fixing things. Tell me how I can help."(Tony loves Stephen. Wong loves Stephen. Stephen loves both of them but knows that it's not his choice to make. Tony is determined to rewrite the rules of the multiverse.)





	Between Earth and Sky

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Moving Forward](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18165548) by [amethyst-noir (Arbonne)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir). 



> Well, my inbox, the source of everlasting delight and despair, graced me with this little diamond of a prompt:  
>  _(Corner Anon returns.) Tony arrives at the Sanctum and finds the Cloak lifeless in the corner of the library. Then he finds Wong clutching a note, uncharacterically frantic. The last thing Tony finds is Stephen dropping over the ledge of the Sanctum’s roof. (Where do I find Tony to apologise?)_
> 
> @ironstrangebingo prompt: _Hurt/Comfort_ | @badthingshappenbingo prompt: _Tearful Smile_
> 
> Well, this one is hardcore angst. Read the tags carefully before you start to read and also look at the pairing. Yes, this is Tony/Stephen/Wong. When I started it was meant to be Ironstrange but well... the story demanded something else and Stephen deserves all the love and support he can get. So do Wong and Tony actually.
> 
> PS: The Cloak will be fine.

_Between the Earth and the sky_  
_As above so below_  
_Underneath the starry glow,_  
_The Earth is spinning slow_  
_Dance in the unknown._

~ _Between Earth and Sky_ , Rhea's Obsession

* * *

_I just need a moment of your time._

No. Wrong.

_I need your expertise…_

No, not that one.

_Secretary Ross asked me…_

Hell, no!

_Hey, Stephen? I know you're busy with protecting us all from things unseen but I'd really like to…_

Maybe.

_Stephen. I saw you on the news yesterday and you looked terrible. And you haven't answered any of my messages. What's up?_

No. Yes. Maybe.

_Stephen. I miss you._

**YES.**

*

When Tony arrived at the doors of the Sanctum near sunset the doors opened by themselves - nothing unusual - but nobody was at the door. Neither Stephen, nor Wong, nor the Cloak which had greeted Tony on its own a couple of times before.

The bad feeling that had been haunting Tony ever since he'd seen a pale, shaking Stephen on the news intensified by a thousand.

"Stephen?" he called. Nothing. "Wong?" he tried again. Again, nothing. "Cape?" There, that should do it. Better to be strangled by the Cloak in retaliation then be ignored in the creepy, interdimensional mausoleum Stephen called his home.

When not even that insult produced an reaction the vague sense of unease became actual fear. "Hello? Anyone?" he called as loudly as possible, already on his way to the library. He only hoped that it was still in the same location it had been the last time he was here.

"Stephen?" he called once again before he turned around the last corner. "What's up with the silent treatment? I know, I know I was an idiot the last time we saw each other but you should be used to that by now… Wong?!"

Instead of the expected Stephen he found Wong standing in the middle of the library, still and staring at a piece of paper in his hands. He didn't seem to read it and neither did he acknowledge Tony's entrance.

 _Fuck._ As fast as possible he crossed the room and waved a hand in front of Wong. Still, no reaction. "Wong?" Not even a touch on the man's shoulder produced anything. After a second of contemplation he took the piece of paper out of Wong's hands with infinite care. On it, in a shaky, almost unreadable crawl that he instinctively recognized as Stephen's, was a short message that almost made his heart stop.

_I'm sorry._

He just _knew_ what this was. Stephen's increasingly reserved demeanor, his frankly awful looks on the footage from the day before…

"Stark?"

It seemed that taking the note out of his hands had awoken Wong. A nasty suspicion formed and Tony let the paper drop, lest the magic might affect him as well.

"Where is he?" Wong's eyes darted around frantically, but he still wasn't moving. Tony took him by the shoulder and shook him. "Where's Stephen? Damnit, Wong, snap out of it!"

Wong wasn't quite here, but he knew how urgent everything was. He was still looking for something and Tony followed his eyes until they landed on a misshapen, red lump lying on the floor. He already knew what it was before he was kneeling in front of the lifeless piece of red fabric. By instinct he gathered the Cloak up in his arms. It might have been an illusion but he thought he could feel a slight shiver in his arms.

Great, Wong was incapacitated and he was holding a paralyzed piece of sentient clothing in his arms. The picture that emerged was everything he'd never wanted to see.

"Up," Wong suddenly said. "Rooftop," he clarified when Tony's head snapped back to him. "Stephen."

Yes, of course. The ideal spot to…

 _Don't think about it!_ he told himself. "Right," he said out loud. Another look at Wong but he couldn't do anything here and Wong wasn't in danger. Stephen… was. In danger from himself by the looks of it. He swallowed the suddenly threatening panic down. "On it," he called, bundled the Cloak up in his arms for easier transportation, and ran out of the room.

He only hoped that the Sanctum was in a good mood and actually wanted him to protect its master otherwise he would never find his way to the roof in time.

 _Don't_ , he begged while he was running up one flight of stairs after another and forced his damaged lungs to work just a little bit harder and a little bit longer. He couldn't afford that now. Breathing was overrated anyway. _Please, don't. I can't lose you. Not you._

Stephen had been so damn distant lately, barely responding to official messages and evading Tony's efforts to establish something more than a casual friendship between them with a determination that would have been funny and admirable if Tony hadn't seen the haunted look in his eyes and the way Stephen flinched when someone except Wong or himself stood a little bit too close to him.

The urge and desire to reach out and help and been growing stronger every day in Tony and by now it was burning in him. He not only wanted but _needed_ to get closer to Stephen.

_I can't be too late._

He wasn't.

Stephen, standing dangerously close to the edge of the building, turned around when Tony came out into the open, panting and just about ready to pass out from his sprint. He didn't even look surprised, Tony noticed, as soon as he had recovered from the glare of the setting sun.

 _No!_ "Please, Stephen, come back down. Don't leave us. Please. Whatever it is, I'll help you in any way I can. Just don't do it."

Something that could have passed as a smile in another dimension crossed over Stephen's face. "Hello, Tony. I hoped that you didn't have to see that. I'm sorry. For so many things." Tony could see the tears glistening in his eyes. "Take care of them for me. Please." He nodded towards the Cloak, still bundled up in Tony's arms.

Before Tony could understand, let alone react, Stephen spread out his arms and _dropped_ over the edge.

He was in his suit, and in the air before he even thought about it. He didn't even activate the link to FRIDAY, just operated on pure instinct as he followed the path Stephen had taken and fired up the thrusters to accelerate and catch him before it was too late.

His quick reflexes had saved him time and time again but this time they saved someone much more important than himself. He managed to grab on to Stephen before he could smash into the ground and was on his way back up to the roof before he even had time to consciously think about what had just happened.

He landed and saw the Cloak waving weakly at them from the ground where he had dropped it. But all of his concentration was on Stephen who was finally in his arms, where Tony had wanted him for such a long time. Stephen was unconscious, his body lax and unresponsive. Up close Tony could see the tear tracks on his too pale and almost emaciated looking face. Tony could barely feel his weight in his arms, and his clothes weren't nearly as tight fitting as they had been the last time Tony had seen him.

"What have you done to yourself?" He walked over to the Cloak and gently laid Stephen down atop of it. The Cloak curled around its master to the best of its current abilities while Tony retracted the nanites and settled down on the stone beside them.

"Why?" he asked but received no answer. After moment of contemplation he pressed his fingers against Stephen's carotid artery. His pulse was there, maybe a little bit slow and weak, but there. Tony didn't want to know who bad off he really was and so he kept the nano-tech away. Instead he chose to lay down besides Stephen and wait for him to wake up on his own again.

"I'm here for you," he promised softly. "Whatever it is, I'll help you through it."

The Cloak touched him on the thigh and Tony took that as permission. He carefully turned Stephen around and maneuvered him until he was on his side, with his head on Tony's chest. This way Tony could hold on to him, check his pulse, and keep him warm all in one, now that the sun had set and night was approaching, fast. He wanted to check on Wong, to make sure that the man was alright, but he didn't have the strength to carry Stephen down without the Cloaks help and he didn't want to put the armor on since that would mean losing contact with Stephen. And he couldn't leave him alone, as Stephen had demonstrated just now.

Fucking idiot.

He longed to press a kiss against the dark hair sprinkled with white but kept himself in check. Not now. Not when Stephen couldn't respond.

The fall had been neither high nor long enough to account for unconsciousness in a healthy human. But then, Stephen was everything but healthy, Tony had to realize to his horror.

"I need you to wake up, Stephen. Come back to me. _Please_."

*

A weak moan, followed by a near silent "no, please, not him" was the sign that Stephen was beginning to wake up. Tony tightened his hold around him, afraid of the upcoming confrontation. Would Stephen try to break free and jump again? Would he hit Tony and run away? Scream at him who he thought he was to keep him alive when he obviously didn't want to be?

Stephen, wonderful, intelligent, strong, beautiful Stephen Strange had tried to kill himself.

The thought had been haunting Tony constantly in the hour since he had settled them on the top of the Sanctum, followed by a despairing "Why?" He whispered the word against Stephen's hair. Only their closeness let him feel the slight hitch in Stephen's breathing and his shudder.

"Tony?" he asked and he sounded so fucking lost and broken and Tony could feel tears well up in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

There were so many answers to that but only one he could speak out loud. "Holding you," Tony said softly. "Keeping you warm and safe."

Stephen shivered in his arms and Tony began to rub his back in an effort to warm him up and comfort him. The Cloak, after a few futile tries, managed to curl itself around them a little bit more.

"I don't deserve that," Stephen said, his face hidden against Tony's chest.

Tony took a moment to compose his thoughts and forced himself to relax. He had to be cautious and calm now, he realized. He had to be the strong one because Stephen had just shattered right in front of his eyes and he didn't even know why.

"Why not?" he asked after taking a careful, deep breath. His lungs still burned from his run but the ignored the ache with the help of long practice. Stephen's weight on his chest wasn't the most comfortable thing either, but he would rather suffer than force the man to move now.

"I don't deserve anything. Except death." Calm and accepting. Everything Tony had never been when confronted with death, not even in his darkest hours, no matter what he tried to tell himself in those moments.

Stephen was his mirror image and where Tony was too quick to fight Stephen was too quick to surrender himself to horrors untold. Stubbornness had pulled them through so far but their luck could only hold so long. Tony looked over to the edge of the building where he had almost lost Stephen today.

"Nobody deserves a death like that. You least of all."

"You don't know what I have done."

 _Fuck._ "Tell me."

A shake of the head, barely noticeable. "I'd rather not." Broken and lost, like a child awaking from a nightmare, not quite knowing what was going on.

"Okay." It was hard but Tony managed to keep silent after that. He concentrated on Stephen's body in his arms, tried to give as much wordless comfort as possible. After a couple of minutes Stephen relaxed and his breathing got deeper and more regular. When he looked up and saw Wong waiting in the doorway he nodded. "I think he's fallen asleep."

Wong came to them and sat down beside them. He stroked the edge of the Cloak for a moment, before his hand landed on Stephen's back. No reaction.

"You found him in time. Thank you." It wasn't a question but Tony shook his head anyway.

"He jumped right after seeing me. I caught him mid-air and brought him back."

Wong closed his eyes and took a deep breath at that. Tony wasn't sure but there might have been a muttered "fuck". He could sympathize, really.

"What happened to him, Wong? He looks like hell and he tries to kill himself after putting you two out of commission. That's not the Stephen I know and…" He broke off, mortified, but Wong just looked at him.

"Love?" he suggested drily. "Don't look so surprised, Tony, you're hardly subtle."

He wasn't. He knew that. Hell, the whole world knew that. Everyone except Stephen who still hadn't caught on what his increasing visits to the Sanctum meant. Stephen, who was so busy running away from everything that might elicit an emotional response from him… _Oh._

"I'm an idiot."

Wong smiled a little at that. "Welcome to the club. You'll fit well together. If he ever gets his head out of his ass and sees what's right in front of him, that is." He grew somber again. "I don't know exactly what happened. He hasn't been well for a few days but refused to talk about it. This morning he went to Kamar-Taj for a meeting and when he came back he was frantic and almost incoherent." Tony watched as Wong caressed Stephen's back, probably without really realizing it. "He left the note, spelled to incapacitate me, and put a binding spell on the Cloak. Thankfully, he didn't anticipate your visit today."

"You don't have to tell him everything. And you can let me up, by the way. This is mortifying enough as it is." Stephen's voice was weak but he sounded calm, almost resigned. Still, Tony tightened his hold in preparation and saw and felt that Wong did the same.

"If you think that we let you up only for you to reprise your swan dive you're even more stupid than I already think you are."

"Not stupid. Broken," Wong said softly and Tony could feel Stephen shaking in his arms at that. Since Stephen still hid his face against Tony's shirt he couldn't see his face but he could feel the tears through the fabric. He didn't protest against the label and something in Tony broke, too.

"Broken," he repeated softly, looking from Wong to the man shivering in his arms and back again. "I can fix that. I'm good at fixing things. Tell me how I can help."

He watched silently as Wong's hand moved up over Stephen's back to rest on the back of his neck. The soft glow of magic made him wary but the forced himself to stay still. Wong would never hurt Stephen, he knew. He couldn't trust magic but he could trust the sorcerer in his arms and the one kneeling beside him. He could do that. He would do that.

"Wong?"

"I don't know what's wrong with him. There is no trace of outside influence and…"

"I do," Stephen broke in. He tried to move again and Tony let him sit up this time, too startled by the words to restrain him. The Cloak dragged him upwards and Stephen ended up sandwiched between Wong and Tony, with the partially reawakened Cloak clinging to his shoulders. Stephen stroked it in a gesture of clear apology. "Sorry," he muttered and ducked his head. That, combined him with trying to hide behind his hair and the light blush on his face made him look adorable.

Tony hated himself for thinking that right now but it was nothing but the truth. _Fuck it_ , he decided and reached out to brush the hair away from Stephen's face. "Don't hide," he begged and could feel himself blush. It had been so long that he'd almost forgotten how that felt. But the sight of Stephen's gorgeous eyes, a little red and still wet, lit by the last fading light of the sun, was worth the embarrassment. "What happened, Stephen?"

Stephen pulled the Cloak tighter around him. Soon it would be too cold to stay out here, especially for Stephen who had lost weight and was obviously weakened. A quick look at Wong showed Tony that he thought the same.

Stephen, in the meantime, was busy staring into eternity. It was a tendency of him that had begun to worry Tony. "I died," he finally said. "Not me, personally," he clarified when he heard Wong's sharply indrawn breath and Tony's sound of denial. "But me in another timeline. He died over a long time and in pain - his agony crossed the multiverse and I felt it. I've seen and felt flashes of his life for days now and today it was finally over." He shook his head, clearly annoyed with himself. "I don't know why this one hit me so hard. I've felt other versions of me die before but this one… I don't know if it was because his death was especially brutal or if he was especially strong but…"

"You could feel yourself die in another reality? _Multiple times_?" From Wong's tone it was clear that that was not normal, not even for frighteningly powerful sorcerers. Tony was so busy being horrified that his hand came to rest on Stephen's left cheek, just stroking the warm skin by instinct. Stephen's cheekbone stood out in stark relief, much more than usual, and Tony was once again reminded that Stephen had lost weight he couldn't really afford to. The instinct to comfort and protect reared up once again.

"Yes? Why? Is that unusual?"

"It's practically unheard of."

Stephen shrugged. "Most often it's just dreams or a vague sense of something passing. This one, though… it was worse than ever before."

Tony watched as Wong drew Stephen into a half embrace and to his own surprise he didn't feel jealous that the man he loved was in the arms of someone else. Instead he continued to stroke Stephen's face and look into his eyes, glad that Stephen was held and supported by Wong. "And his pain was so bad that it drove you to this?" He nodded towards the edge.

Stephen nodded. "He just wanted an end to it all and the feeling overwhelmed me after he'd passed away."

"Stephen," Wong sounded serious and afraid like Tony had never heard before. "It shouldn't be possible for you to feel things like that."

A shrug. "Maybe I'm just really special?" The small smile that accompanied the words did more to reassure Tony that Stephen wasn't suicidal anymore than any words could have. Stephen relaxed with a sigh into Tony's gentle caress and Wong's embrace. "I'm okay now. I'm sorry for scaring you." He looked at Tony. "And I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you." He stroked the Cloak, once again and leaned his face against Wong's. "I'm sorry," he whispered once again. "So sorry."

"Shh." Wong was so tender with Stephen and the look he gave him told Tony everything he needed to know about how Wong felt about Stephen.

 _You'll fit well together_ , Wong had said but the truth was that Wong and Stephen already _did_. Stephen didn't need Tony, he already had all he needed. Love, comfort and support on a level Tony could never give him. Stephen, thankfully, didn't notice anything but Wong looked at him and saw everything.

There was only understanding in his look, paired with something like respect. Tony shook his head, trying to wish his hopes away. He tried on a smile and begged his heart to keep on beating for a little bit longer. It could shatter when he was back home. Alone, as he was meant to be.

"Let's get you down, shall we? It's getting cold and you're not in the best of shape." He would help Wong getting Stephen down and try to help a little bit more. Stephen was the important one now, everything else wasn't. "Can you get up?" He knew that he could probably carry Stephen down if it was nearly necessary - and he could do it for sure if he donned the armor - but we was pretty sure that Wong was more than strong enough to carry Stephen on his own. But he also knew how much he would have hated to be carried and Stephen was at least as independent as him.

Stephen didn't even dignify his question with an answer but tried to stand up immediately. The Cloak still wasn't in any shape to help him keep upright and looking closer it was clear that Wong was kept upright by little bit more than pure will and stubbornness. Hell, the man was trembling and barely conscious himself. Tony kicked himself for not noticing that sooner. Of course he was still under the influence of the spell - if even the Cloak was still barely able to move why should Wong be.

 _Guess I'll stay then_ , he realized, as he half carried a stumbling Stephen down the stairs with Wong leading the unsteady way.

*

A few hours and too many horrifying stories of death and timelines gone wrong later he was on the couch in the library, had Stephen's head in his lap and carefully brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes once again while Wong sat on the armchair only a few inches away, watching them.

"He loves you," Wong said without warning when they both where reasonable sure that Stephen had finally succumbed to his exhaustion. The Cloak, a little bit more alive now and acting as a blanket, nodded.

"And you love him," Tony answered after a minute.

Wong's silence was answer enough. Then: "I can't give him what he needs."

Tony laughed, short and bitter. "You give him love and unconditional support, you help him through his magical mishaps, you've been on his side for _years_ , before I even knew that he exists." Tony looked up from his contemplation of Stephen's beautiful face and stared at Wong. Who, he had to admit, was beautiful in his own, stoic way. "You're his friend. We all know that the best relationships are based on friendship." He went back to staring at Stephen and resisted the impulse to brush through his hair again.

"I can see auras, you know." Wong's words shattered the almost comfortable silence between them. "It's something all sorcerers can do if they want to but I'm a little bit better at it then most." There was no trace of pride in his voice but neither was there embarrassment, not that Tony would have expected that from what he knew of Wong.

"And?" he asked when nothing else was coming.

"I have never seen two souls which are more compatible than yours and his." Wong stood up, still a little bit unsteady, and put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I love Stephen, yes. As a friend and yes, I would take him as my lover in a heartbeat. But the way he loves you and the way you can learn to love him back in time is something completely different. It transcends time and space itself." He squeezed Tony's shoulder, gently. "Be there for him. Don't let him push you away. You need each other. Stephen and I have our chances in other realities." _Without you in the picture_ , went unsaid but not unheard by Tony who swallowed and had to fight against tears that threatened all of a sudden. "I'll prepare something to eat for him when he wakes up. We need to get him eating again. Keep him comfortable."

He was gone before Tony had a chance to react. He stared at the empty doorway for a while before he looked down again - only to see Stephen looking back. "Hey," he whispered and brushed non-existent hair off Stephen's forehead, once again.

Stephen smiled uncertainly and reached up to catch Tony's hand before he could withdraw it. "Hi."

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough."

"I'm sorry."

Stephen's smile became gentle and suddenly he looked so old. Tony shivered at the reminder that Stephen was so much older than him or Wong or even both of them together. It was inconceivable what he'd been through and it was no wonder that he'd finally broken. "Don't be. I chose this."

"You chose to fall in love with me? After getting to know me the way you did? I don't know if that makes you stupid or insane. Or both."

"Don't," he begged and put Tony's hand right over his heart. Tony could almost feel it beat under the layers of fabric that hid and protected Stephen from a world that seemed to be determined to hurt him over and over again. "Don't belittle yourself. Wong's right, you know. Our souls are very compatible, as such things go."

Looking into Stephen's eyes, seeing how relaxed he was despite being weakened and in a vulnerable position, looking up to another man, Tony could only see conviction.

"Why did you try to kill yourself?" The question burned in him since the moment he'd set down Stephen on the ground after rescuing in the very last second. "Please, tell me."

Stephen stopped breathing for a moment but after Tony put some gentle pressure on his chest he resumed. "I told you." Tony just waited, sensing that there was much more to the story. Finally Stephen gave in with a sigh and closed his eyes. "I - the other me - lost everything when he was captured and tortured."

The despair in his voice _hurt_ and suddenly it clicked. "He saw me die, right? The other me, I mean. The me of…"

"The love of his life got tortured to death right in front of him. Close but not close enough to touch. It went on for days. They finally released me - _him_ \- just in time to hold you for a few seconds before…" The Cloak held up one corner and Tony used it to carefully dab away the tears that had escaped Stephen's closed eyes. "His mind snapped as his soul broke and I fear some of that despair spilled over into…"

Tony put a finger over his lips. "Shh. Stop. Please. I get it. I'm here. I'm good. You're good."

Wong came in and silently set a tray with tea and sandwiches down. One look at his face made it clear that he'd heard.

"May I?" he asked and Stephen nodded without opening his eyes. Wong knelt down beside the couch and looked up at Tony. "I'm going to check his soul out," he explained quietly. "Something like what he just described - it leaves scars. I have to make sure that it's exactly that and not more."

An injured soul. Only a year ago Tony would have laughed at the very concept. But a year ago he still had Pepper in his life and the hopes of a family with her. Now Pepper was gone and instead of her he had a gorgeous if hurting wizard and his best friend in his life. He nodded his consent, despite it not being his to give. But Wong honored the gesture with a slight smile before he put one hand on Stephen's forehead and the other one on his chest - right next to Tony's.

The warm glow of Wong's magic filled the air and Tony stared, mesmerized at the sheer beauty of it. He followed Wong's wordless instructions to move is hands and ended up with his right hand on Stephen's hip, right on the spot where he'd been hurt not too long ago and his left one on Stephen's neck, automatically tracking his pulse. He watched as Wong's hand moved over Stephen's body with confident, efficient but still gentle gestures.

"What's the diagnosis, doctor?" Stephen asked when the glow had faded and both of Wong's hands rested on his chest.

"You already know, don't you?"

Tony could more feel his nod than see it. "I checked myself out while you were talking about me, thinking that I was asleep."

Wong snorted. "Typical." He grew somber again. "Stephen, you can't go on like this. If we don't find a way to strengthen your mental barriers this will tear you apart sooner rather than later."

"What can't? Don't keep me in suspense! Let the muggle know what's up."

Stephen, his eyes still closed, turned his head away to hide his face against Tony's arm. Wong took it as the invitation it was.

"It's hard to explain in words," he began but continued before Tony could protest. "Let me show you." He took Tony's right hand and put it above Stephen's heart. " _Feel_ ," he commanded and after moment of nothing Tony did exactly that.

Loneliness. Ages of it. Despair. So much hurt. But also the stubborn refusal to give up, the knowledge that there would be better times to come that he just had to push through for a little while longer. The knowledge that there were people who cared about him, unbelievable as it sometimes was. The knowledge that he would all lose them one day and return to loneliness. The understanding that life was a solitary road and he was doomed to travel it for a long, long time before he would hopefully be reunited with the ones he loved.

The ones. Plural. Tony could feel the immense, death eclipsing love Stephen felt for him. But he could also feel the quieter but in no way lesser love Stephen felt for Wong. He got a glimpse of them together in some realities; saw a shadow or two of lives shared between Stephen and Wong.

But Stephen always had to choose. Or the universe chose for him. He never had it all.

When Tony emerged from his almost trance he could feel the tears on his face and could see them glistening on Wong's face. Stephen's eyes were dry, looking up at them in calm anticipation of their choice this time.

Tony or Wong. Who would he get? Who would be lost to him this time?

Tony knew what choice Wong had made. But he refused to accept it. Instead he reached out and took Wong's hand. Squeezed it gently. And then put it over back again over Stephen's heart before putting his own atop of it. With his left hand he fumbled for Stephen's left one and carefully entwined their fingers. He looked from Stephen to Wong and back again, hoping that his face could convey what words couldn't.

_You don't have to choose. You'll get us both this time._

They would work the logistics out over time. He already had a deep friendship with Wong, had felt the man's hand on his skin for a massage or two after he'd been tossed around in the suit. He'd helped Wong patch up after a fight under Stephen's guidance when the man's hands were too shaky to be of any use. They had hugged in joy and in sorrow. He had cried in Wong's arms after Pepper had left him for good when Rhodey had been trapped in Washington and Stephen far away in Kamar-Taj. There was _something_ between them and it wasn't Stephen.

He would be lying to himself if he said that he'd never thought about kissing Wong. Judging by the way Wong looked back at him and squeezed his knee with his free hand he might not have been the only one.

They both looked back at the man lying between them, smiling in wonder and looking up at them with eyes full of joy and tears of happiness. He'd never looked more beautiful or content than right in this moment.

Another second of silent communication and Wong encouraged him with a nod while the Cloak drew itself back to allow them both access.

Tony bent down to be the first one to kiss Stephen before withdrawing to hold Stephen while Wong leaned down to kiss him, too. Stephen melted into the hold and the kiss in equal measure as the deep wounds in his soul finally began to heal.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for holding out until the end. I hope you enjoyed this strange little tale. It was time for something new and different.  
> 💞  
> [Bingo Cards](https://whenthesunburnsout.tumblr.com) & [post with extended author's notes](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/post/184765508961/betweenearthandsky/).


End file.
